Most Popular
-
1
Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
-
2
New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
-
3
Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
-
4
Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
-
5
[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
-
6
Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
-
7
Doctor group's incoming head renews call for govt. to scrap medical school quota hike for dialogue
-
8
Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
-
9
NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
-
10
[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
-
N. Korea spurns S. Korea's call for talks on Kaesong wages
North Korea claimed Thursday its decision to raise wages for its workers at the Kaesong Industrial Complex is a legitimate measure under its sovereignty, dimming hopes of an early resolution to disputes between the two Koreas over the issue.The North's Central Special Development Guidance Bureau, which is in charge of operating the complex, made clear that it is not a matter to be decided through consultations with the South's government. Last month, Pyongyang notified Seoul of its unilateral de
March 12, 2015
-
Lawmakers back BBC broadcasts in North
South Korean lawmakers on Thursday expressed support for the BBC’s reported plans to broadcast radio news in North Korea, saying the spread of information would likely help improve human rights standards in the oppressive state.But lawmakers here were divided over whether the BBC should be allowed to broadcast from the South. They also raised doubts about the BBC’s ability to reach listeners in the North as Pyongyang authorities would likely try to block the BBC’s frequencies.“I consider the pla
March 12, 2015
-
Peaceful unification only way for uniting Koreas: official
A peaceful unification based on consensus is the only way sought by South Korea to reunify with the North, an official said Thursday, disavowing his earlier remarks indicating Seoul's push for forced unification.Chung Chong-wook, a vice chairman of the presidential committee tasked with preparing for possible unification with North Korea, came under fire after saying in a local speech earlier this week that under the wing of the committee is a separate team preparing for reunification by absorpt
March 12, 2015
-
Signs emerge of China-N.K. thaw
Signs of a thaw in relations between China and North Korea are emerging, with Beijing poised to increase exchanges and recently hinting at a possible bilateral summit as Seoul and Washington reaffirm their alliance. Beijing has reportedly decided to let its border provinces increase economic cooperation with the North. Its Jilin and Liaoning provinces have announced they would expand their tour programs to the isolated country.This week, the North resumed tourism programs, bringing scores of Chi
March 11, 2015
-
Unification minister nominee open to sending envoy to N.K.
Unification Minister nominee Hong Yong-pyo on Wednesday said sending a special envoy to North Korea could be an option to consider in the efforts to help defrost cross-border ties. At his confirmation hearing, the former presidential unification secretary and college professor apologized for allegations of tax evasion, fake resident registration, plagiarism and other wrongdoings. Expressing regret over strained inter-Korean relations, Hong pledged to explore the “best ways” to bring about a thaw
March 11, 2015
-
Minister nominee vows efforts for substantive talks with N. Korea
The nominee to become South Korea's unification minister said Wednesday he will push for "substantive dialogue" with North Korea by upgrading the Korean Peninsula Trust-Building Process, a signature policy of the Park Geun-hye administration.Speaking at his confirmation hearing, Hong Yong-pyo said sending a special envoy to Pyongyang can be an option if needed."(I) will explore various methods to invigorate dialogue and discuss major pending issues," he said. "A special envoy can be considered a
March 11, 2015
-
N. Korea, Russia declare 2015 as friendship year: KCNA
North Korea and Russia will mark 2015 as a year of friendship and step up bilateral exchanges in political, economic and cultural sectors, the North's official news agency said Wednesday."The Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation decided to make 2015, in which falls the 70th anniversaries of Korea's liberation and the victory in the great Patriotic War in Russia, as a year of friendship between the two countries," the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a
March 11, 2015
-
N. Korea unlikely to conduct nuclear or long-range missile test: 38 North
North Korea is unlikely to test a nuclear device or a long-range missile over the next few months, a U.S. think tank said, citing satellite imagery of tests sites, despite concern Pyongyang could launch provocations in anger over U.S.-South Korea military exercises.Commercial satellite imagery of the North's Punggye-ri nuclear test site and the Sohae Satellite Launching Station shows that only activities associated with maintenance during the winter months are taking place, the website 38 North
March 11, 2015
-
S. Korea to punish Gaesong firms accepting N. Korea's wage hike plan
South Korea will penalize its companies operating in an inter-Korean industrial complex if they comply with North Korea's decision to raise wages for North Korean workers there, an official said Tuesday.The government will exert "strong leadership" in handling the issue as it does not want to set a bad precedent for the operation of the Kaesong Industrial Complex in the North's border town of the same name, the unification ministry official told reporters in a background briefing.Last month, the
March 10, 2015
-
Seoul concerned over 'open' launches of anti-N.K. leaflets
South Korea expressed concern Tuesday over civic groups' plans to publicly send leaflets to North Korea, indicating that it will try to block them.Days ago, a group of civic groups announced their plan to send anti-Pyongyang leaflets to North Korea on March 26, the fifth anniversary of the North's torpedoing of a South Korean Navy ship in March 2010. Civic groups involved in the leaflet campaign have often pre-announced their campaigns so their activities could draw media and social attention. S
March 10, 2015
-
S. Korea says no unified team with N. Korea for Gwangju Universiade
South Korea on Tuesday dismissed the possibility of forming a unified team with North Korea for the upcoming Gwangju Summer Universiade, as the two sides are at loggerheads over the recent knife attack on U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Mark Lippert. Given public sentiment here and current inter-Korean relations, it's "not appropriate" to field such a joint team to the July games, a unification ministry official told reporters on background.He was responding to a news report that the South may conside
March 10, 2015
-
Seoul city pushing for inter-Korean research projects
The South Korean capital of Seoul is seeking to conduct joint research projects with North Korea on traditional Korean cultural sites, the city government said Tuesday.To that end, the city government said it has recently tapped the joint council of South and North Korean historians for research ideas and other advice.According to the council, the South Korean capital city would carry out joint inter-Korean research comparing the fortress wall of Hanyang, the old name of Seoul, and a historical
March 10, 2015
-
S. Korea says N. Korea's attitude on Kaesong zone 'deeply regrettable'
South Korea's unification ministry issued a strongly-worded statement Monday against North Korea's attitude on their joint venture in Kaesong, calling again for immediate dialogue to resolve pending problems.It's "deeply regrettable" that the North is not responding to Seoul's offer of talks to discuss Pyongyang's unilateral decision to raise wages for its workers at the Kaesong Industrial Complex, said the ministry."It's questionable whether (the North) has the will for the development of the c
March 9, 2015
-
Seoul sends protest to U.N. over N.K. missile launch
South Korea has sent a letter to the United Nations calling for North Korea to be punished for its recent test-firings of short-range missiles, a government source said Monday.A week earlier, North Korea launched two short-range missiles into the East Sea in apparent protest against the start of joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises on the peninsula.The missile launches also came with threats of further military action over what the country deems as Seoul and Washington's rehearsal for a war
March 9, 2015
-
South-North tensions spike after attack on U.S. ambassador
Inter-Korean tensions escalated over the weekend as Seoul’s probe into Thursday’s knife attack on the top U.S. envoy here zeroed in on the assailant’s possible ties to the North, while Pyongyang praised the attack.Observers expressed concerns that the attack on Ambassador Mark Lippert would negatively affect cross-border relations as Seoul would find it difficult to push for improved ties with Pyongyang after the communist regime called the attack a “deserved punishment and act of justice.”The i
March 8, 2015
-
China says summit with N. Korea to take place when 'convenient'
The leaders of North Korea and China may meet when their schedules are "convenient," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday, signaling the possibility of a North Korea-China summit despite long-running standoffs over the North's nuclear ambition. North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong-un, has yet to visit China since taking the helm of the reclusive state in late 2011, while Russia has said that Kim would be among those attending a May 9 ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Soviet vi
March 8, 2015
-
China says it will replace ambassador to N. Korea
China said Friday that it will replace its ambassador to North Korea, adding the replacement is part of a "normal rotation" of diplomatic posts. Asked whether China would replace its ambassador to North Korea, Liu Hongchai, China's foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying replied, "There will be some rotations of Chinese ambassadors to foreign countries." "These are normal rotations," Hua said, without specifying the Chinese ambassador to North Korea. Political relations between North Korea and C
March 6, 2015
-
N. Korea factor draws attention in U.S. envoy attack
The knife attack on the U.S. ambassador to Seoul was carried out by pro-North Korea forces, South Korea's government and ruling party said Friday, vowing to conduct a thorough investigation into the case.High-level officials from the government, presidential office and ruling Saenuri Party came to the conclusion during a meeting at the Prime Minister's Office, one day after Amb. Mark Lippert sustained cuts to his face and wrist in a knife attack by a South Korean activist who voiced his oppositi
March 6, 2015
-
S. Korea slams N. Korea over its reaction to Lippert case
South Korea denounced North Korea on Friday for approving of the shocking knife attack on Mark Lippert, the U.S. ambassador to Seoul.Pyongyang's support for the heinous act demonstrates the insincerity of the communist nation's claim that it is against terrorism, the unification ministry said in a statement.Hours after Lippert was slashed on his face and arm with a 25-centimeter knife wielded by a South Korean activist during a breakfast forum in Seoul Thursday, the North said that he deserved "
March 6, 2015
-
S. Korea police probing US envoy attacker's links with North
South Korean police said Friday they were investigating any possible links the man behind a shocking knife attack on the US ambassador to Seoul may have had with North Korea.Kim Ki-Jong, 55, faces possible attempted murder charges after slashing ambassador Mark Lippert with a paring knife in an assault that left the US envoy needing 80 stitches to a deep gash on his face.The profile painted of Kim is that of a lone assailant with strong nationalist views who saw the United States as one of the m
March 6, 2015